Branded residences in Thailand

In a condominium, a foreign national can own the unit outright, in their own name, as freehold. The constraint is collective rather than personal: under the Condominium Act, foreign nationals together may hold no more than 49% of the total registered floor area of any single building. The remaining 51% must be in Thai hands. That quota is consumed building by building, so the only answer that means anything is the one for the specific unit on the specific day. A property can be half empty and still have no foreign quota left.

To register freehold in a foreigner's name, the purchase funds must be remitted into Thailand from abroad in foreign currency, and the receiving bank must issue a Foreign Exchange Transaction Form recording it. Without that form the Land Office will not transfer the title. This is a paperwork step that catches people who move money in stages or through a Thai account first, and it is not recoverable after the fact.

Land is different, and this is the part that matters for every villa in Phuket and Samui. A foreigner cannot own land in Thailand. Villa properties are therefore structured either as a registered lease, capped by statute at 30 years per registration, or through a Thai company that owns the land. The familiar '30 + 30 + 30' renewal is a contractual promise, not a statutory right: the renewals are not guaranteed by law and their enforceability against a future owner of the freehold is not something any brochure can settle. If you are buying a villa, the structure is the asset, and it needs a Thai lawyer of your own choosing rather than the developer's.

Transfer costs at the Land Office run to roughly 2% of the registered value as a transfer fee, conventionally split between the parties, with specific business tax, stamp duty and withholding tax applying depending on how long the seller has held the property and whether they are a company. Budget for them explicitly. They are not usually quoted inside an asking price.

One reason buyers look at Thailand at this level is the Long-Term Resident visa. Its Wealthy Global Citizens category requires total assets of at least USD 1,000,000 and an investment of at least USD 500,000 held in the applicant's own name, Thai government bonds of five years or more, direct investment in a Thai company, or Thai property, which is where a residence purchase can count. It also requires health insurance of at least USD 50,000, or Thai social security, or a bank deposit of USD 100,000 held for twelve months or more. Permission to stay runs five years, extendable by five, with dependants at USD 25,000 each. The Board of Investment publishes the current conditions at ltr.boi.go.th, and they change. Check them rather than trusting a sales deck.